About Mi Tierra Ranch
Mi Tierra Ranch was born in Joplin, Missouri soon after my husband, Joe, and I moved here from Houston in 1982 to start a practice in cardiovascular surgery. As native Texans (both from San Antonio), it was hard to leave, but Joplin welcomed us and it soon became home for our family, which included children Leah, Mark and Cameron. Joe’s boyhood dream of some day owning a cattle ranch was realized when we bought our first Texas Longhorns from Frank Doherty. The longhorns may have seemed to be a strange choice for a diehard Aggie (as he was), but he thought they were only appropriate for a surgeon advocating a healthy lifestyle in an age of intense scrutiny and blame directed at red meat for the nation’s high incidence of heart and vascular disease. He was an enthusiastic supporter of longhorn beef for its healthy qualities and we marketed it locally for a time.
We continued to add to our herd, benefiting from Darol Dickinson’s genetics and invaluable advice and support along with other helpful breeders. We were involved with our children in the early years of the TLBAA World Show program (1988-1992), and the cattle-judging clinics led by Dr. Bob Kropp, Dr. Randall Grooms and Dr. Bill Able strongly influenced our perception of structural and functional correctness in our breeding programs.
Unfortunately, Joe went to be with the Lord in March of 2012 after a valiant struggle with brain cancer. We have lost our role model and our guiding star, but his legacy lives on and our family is continuing the tradition of excellence that he started. Daughter Leah and husband, Jose DeHoyos, son Mark and his wife Tatiana, their children Joe Mark, Annabella and Juliana, and son Cameron and his wife Laura are all doing their part to contribute to and enjoy the ranch.
Cynthia Graham